


I'm glad I didn't die before I met you

by saramidumoulin



Category: Les Misérables (2012)
Genre: F/M, M/M, SO GAY, SO VERY GAY, pinning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-27 21:37:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13889625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saramidumoulin/pseuds/saramidumoulin
Summary: "You are what?"The blond boy stared at his sister, his brain refusing to register the words she told him."Engaged. I'm engaged. To Marius."~"You have thirty seconds. After that, you leave me the fuck alone, understood?"Marius' smile widened, and he nodded joyfully."Grantaire, I'm getting married."~Cosette and Marius are getting married. Grantaire and Enjolras disagree.





	1. Chapter 1

"You are what?"

The blond boy stared at his sister, his brain refusing to register the words she told him.

"Engaged. I'm engaged. To Marius."

"Marius? You mean that guy you met half a year ago? This is crazy. I mean, for fuck's sake, Cosette, you're smarter than this." He took a deep breath and failed to calm down. "Did you tell dad?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did, and he reacted way better than you. He was actually happy for me, and mom made cookies to celebrate."

"Of course he was happy, he decided to marry mom approximately 7 seconds after meeting her."

"And look where they are now. Been married for 24 years, happier than ever. You don't have to know someone for years before marrying them, Enjolras. Come on, don't freak out like this. Jesus Christ, I knew you'd have a shit reaction. I'm not even surprised. I don't know why I bothered..."

The blonde girl got up, obviously angry but mostly hurt, and reached to grab her bag, only to be stopped by her brother dropping his palm over her wrist.

"Cosette, sweetie, please sit." He gave her a half-smile . "I'm sorry. I overreacted. I'm an ass. Let me try again."

Cosette stared at her brother for a moment, smirked and slowly sat down. She took a sip of her drink before grabbing both his hands in her own, like she did a few minutes before. 

"Enjy, I'm engaged."

Her brother smiled, trying his hardest to hide his frustration.

"Sweetie that's amazing." He swallowed. "When's the wedding?"

"We were thinking of having it in April. Or in May. I'd like to have a spring wedding, but we also want the ceremony to be outside, and spring comes with a lot of rain, and we wouldn't want rain to ruin the ceremony, so maybe..."

Enjolras, sitting across the table, took a sip of his coffee, and smiled at his sister's babbling. He wasn't very fond of that whole wedding thing, but Cosette was happy. He decided to let ramble about color aesthetics, flowers, dress styles and cake flavors for now, and to be angry later. When she stopped talking to drink, he jumped on the occasion to finally place a word.

"So who's your maid of honor?"

He knew she didn't have many girl friends, but she hung out frequently with a few girls she knew from high school.

"Well, see, that's the thing. In case you never noticed, I don't have that many friends. Sure, I have Eponine, and she's a doll, but our friendship level is more at like "hey let's go shopping tomorrow" and not "hey would you be my maid of honor", you know? We're not that close yet. When I'm up there, I want to be with someone I am truly close with, someone I really, really feel a connection with, you know?"

He slowly nodded, not sure of where she was going with her point.

"So, I thought, maybe, if it's not too much trouble, and if you're not too busy, you could, perhaps, kind of be my maid of honor?"

Enjolras choked on his coffee. "Your what?"

Cosette smiled, one finger intertwined with one of her curls. "Or my lad of honor. Say it how you want. Do you want the job? If you don't, I could always ask Ponine, but I really would rather have you, like I said, cause-"

"I'll do it. I'll be your maid of honor." Enjolras smiled, trying to convince himself he was doing the right thing.

"You will? Oh my god, Enjy, you're the best, thank you!"

Cosette jumped out of her chair and around the table to hug her brother, nearly flipping the table and sending their breakfast on the carpet. Enjolras laughed softly and dropped a light kiss on his sister's forehead. Then, she took a notebook out of her purse, and started showing him different colors for the bridesmaid's dresses. They were all so similar Enjolras had to squint his eyes to see a difference, and bearing names too ridiculous to say out loud. He was going to regret this, and he knew it.

~

"Morning princess!"

The princess in question rolled back in his bed, throwing his blanket over his head, mumbling various curse words at his roommate.

"What did you say, dear?" asked said roommate, in a sing-song voice that showed his excitement.

"I told you to fuck off, Marius. It's like 10am. Let me sleep."

"Come on, R, I need to talk to you."

"No talking unless I've had my coffee. And I don't see any co-"

He popped his head out of the covers, only to see a mug held inches away from his face. He sighed, sat in his bed and grabbed the cup, murmuring a mix of "I hate you" and "Thanks" before taking a sip, closing his eyes to appreciate it more. The dark coffee warmed him up, and he slowly opened his eyes, staring at Marius with an annoyed face.

"You have thirty seconds. After that, you leave me the fuck alone, understood?"

Marius' smile widened, and he nodded joyfully.

"Grantaire, I'm getting married."

Grantaire grinned at his coffee. "Yeah, and I met Hugh Jackman last night. Nice chap. Went out for a beer, talked about-". Grantaire stopped, suddenly aware that Marius wasn't laughing. "Oh god. No. Marius. Marius Pontmercy, you better be joking. Don't do that face. Don't you dare give me your serious face right now." But Marius' face stayed the same, and Grantaire felt the sudden need to punch him. "I can't fucking believe it. Pontmercy, you goddamn idiot. You proposed to the blonde chick from the club? Marius, jesus christ! I know you don't date that much, but when you want to give someone a fifth date gift, you give them a cute bracelet or a bottle of wine, not your fucking last name!" Grantaire got up, fully woken up and filled with frustration. "You two have been dating for what? Six months? Do you even know her? Like really know her? What's her favorite color? What class did she hate in high school? Who is her role model?" 

"Purple, math, Emma Watson", answered Marius, "Keep going, this is fun!" He grinned like a love-struck puppy. A love-struck idiot, Grantaire thought. He passed his hand through his dark curls to try to calm his nerves and chase away the headache that slowly built in his skull.

"Okay. I will accept that you are marrying this girl, simply because you are my friend and I value you as a person. Also because you pay my half of the rent, and I'd be pretty homeless without your generous ass. Now, why did you need to tell me right now? Is the wedding today? Do you want my blessing?"

"Actually, R, I wanted to ask you to be my best man. I don't have any brothers, and I don't have that many close friends either. You're pretty cool, so yeah, are you interested in giving an emotional toast on my wedding day?"

"Jesus christ, Pontmercy. You're lucky I love to have people stare at me, because I would throw you a lamp at your face to get you to shut up right now." He paused for a moment, considering the damage the lamp would cause in Marius' face. Finally, he decided that the lamp was worth too much money to waste it on an idiot. "Yeah, what the hell, I'll be your best man." Marius jumped up from where he sat on the bed and hugged Grantaire tight. Grantaire kept talking, as if he was making a condition. "But you better be ready for a long ass speech full of the best bullshit in town. This guy knows his way around words. I passed high school thanks to my capacity to bullshit. If by the end of it your mom's not bawling her eyes out, I failed at my task." Grantaire hugged Marius back for a few seconds, before physically having to force him to leave his room. Alone at last, he laid in his bed, thinking of the crazy thing he got himself into. He was going to regret this, and he knew it.


	2. Chapter 2

Enjolras never actually agreed, but still found himself sitting on the living room carpet. Half-listening to his sister, he wished he was getting ready for his next trial. His firm got him a big client, and he didn’t want to mess it up by being underprepared. But Cosette insisted, and lord knows that girl knew how to get what she wanted out of people. So he sat there, nodding from time to time to give his sister the impression that he was listening. He looked at his phone, hoping to see a text from Combeferre, his best friend, who promised to be there. He texted him again, as if this time he would answer, unlike the seven times he texted him before. The sound of the door opening stopped Cosette’s train of thought, and they both turned to the door. Sadly for Enjolras, it was Marius. Cosette got up to greet him and Enjolras waved without moving from the floor. He texted Combeferre again. 

Enjolras thought hanging with his sister was awful, but, as it would turn out, hanging out with his sister and her fiancé was worse. Way worse. They were holding hands, finishing each other’s sentences, smiling like idiots. Enjolras excused himself to the kitchen, while mentally planning to murder Combeferre. He grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator, thankful for the silence. His moment of peace was interrupted by three knocks on the door. He dropped his bottle on the counter, and went to answer. When he crossed the living room, Cosette and Marius were, without any surprise, making out. Enjolras sighted and opened the door, one hand covering his eyes.

‘’I am not looking at you. You don’t deserve it. You left me alone with Romeo and Juliet for an hour. An hour. This kind of cruelty will not go unpunished. You, mister, are dead to me.’’

‘’That would be very unfortunate.’’

Enjolras froze, his hand still covering his eyes. The low voice resonated in his ears. He didn’t know that voice. It wasn’t Combeferre. He wished the ground would open under his feet so he could disappear forever. Slowly, he slid his hand away from his face to see who he had talked to. The face was somewhat familiar, yet he couldn’t remember where he knew it from. His eyes were hidden by his cap that barely held on his head due to the volume of black curls underneath. The smaller man wore a green scarf that covered his mouth a little, but Enjolras could still see his smirk. He opened his mouth to ask him who he was, but the man took his cap off and Enjolras’ heart skipped a beat. The man’s eyes were the darkest green, as if a whole forest stood in his iris. They looked as though they had seen it all; the love, the lust, the pain, the lost, all and every human emotion. Enjolras felt exposed, as if the man’s gaze could read his soul like a children’s book. 

‘’I’m Grantaire, the best man. May I come in?’’

Enjolras found a way to catch his breath. ‘’Yeah, sure, sorry, come in. I’m Enjolras by the way, Cosette’s brother.’’

Grantaire smiled ‘’I know. Is Marius here yet? He asked me to help with the invites. I was promised some wine in exchange for my services.’’

Enjolras chuckled, standing on the side to let Grantaire in. He closed the door behind him and held out his hands to grab the man’s coat. When Grantaire dropped his coat in Enjolras’ hands, their fingers brushed. Enjolras felt his whole body warm up, as if the simple contact with Grantaire had set his soul on fire. He took Grantaire’s coat and hung it next to Marius’, avoiding his gaze. ‘’The lovely couple is in the living room. If you're lucky, they won't be making babies on the floor anymore.’’ Enjolras turned to to face Grantaire. ‘’I’ll see what I can do with that promise of wine.’’ He winked with a confidence that came out of nowhere, and left. Grantaire, alone on the doorstep, caught himself staring at Enjolras’ ass. He looked away in a hurry, like a kid getting caught by his mom. But, even though he tried, his gaze laid on the other man a second later, as if he was drawn to him. ''What a phenomenal ass,'' Grantaire thought. He tried to stop staring as he entered the living room, but he couldn't look away. Enjolras was searching for something, presumably wine. A ray of sun entering the kitchen got caught in his hair, and his blond locks looked as if they were pure gold. He imagined himself running his fingers through Enjolras' hair. The tall man, feeling Grantaire's gaze, turned his head to face towards him and grinned. His eyes were so blue, it could put the ocean to shame. Grantaire felt as if he would probably be able to stare at this man for hours without being bored. His thought process was stopped by Cosette's screams of excitement.  
''R!! Here you are! It's been so long! Come here, you!''  
She stood up, bringing Grantaire back on earth and into a tight hug. Marius came behind her, with a smile so wide it must've been painful. ''Thanks again for accepting man, it means the world to me.''  
''No problem dude. So, invites. You needed my magic fingers, I presume?'' Grantaire sat on the ground, staring at the pile of small envelopes. He took one and looked at it closely, studying it like his life depended on it. ''What do you want me to add? Flowers? Birds? Christmas trees?''  
''Actually,'' giggled Cosette, ''Enjolras suggested little gold hearts.''  
The man in question stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a glass of wine in hand.  
''Little hearts, uh?'' Grantaire teased. ''So much for the originality, Apollo. Do you want me to draw a little cupid, too?''  
Enjolras turned as red as the wine he was holding. ''Well, I know it's a little cliché, but, in my defense, there's nothing wrong with a strong classic. Hearts are the symbol of love, everybody knows that.''  
''Didn't take you for a romantic, Apollo.''  
''Yeah, about that.'' Enjolras stepped inside the living room.'' My name's not Apollo. I told you my name, like 3 minutes ago. Short-term memory is a little problematic? You should see a doctor, it's a very serious problem.''  
''My short term memory is fine, Enjolras. But thank you for your concern.'' He reached for the wine, but Enjolras kept it a little to high for him to reach. ''Apollo suits you. Dont ask me why, it just does. Now, would you pass me that wine, dear?''  
Grantaire smirked. Enjolras wondered what a real, genuine smile would look like on his face. He gave him the glass reluctantly, and sunk into the arm chair next to Grantaire. ''If you find my idea this stupid, you can always do something else. You're the artist, I'm ju-‘’  
‘’I like it. It goes well with the style of the invitations. Simple, classy.’’ Grantaire took a pen out of his bag, reached for an envelope, and started drawing. The gold ink looked like fairy dust. Grantaire worked fast, but with precision. His hand moved along the paper with the grace of a ballerina. It seemed as though the pen was leading him, and not the other way around. It was hypnotizing, and Enjolras couldn’t (and didn’t want to) look away. After a while, Marius and Cosette left to go to the store, or something, Enjolras didn’t listen. He kept on watching Grantaire, taking in the beauty and the simplicity of the scene. The artist’s black curls kept falling in his face, and yet he didn’t put them away. He kept on drawing. They sat there for what felt like an hour, before Grantaire broke the silence. 

‘’Why are you watching me?’’ He didn’t look at Enjolras, keeping his concentration on the envelope. If he had looked, he would have seen the bright shade of red that overtook Enjolras’ cheeks. If he had looked, Enjolras probably wouldn’t have been able to give him an honest answer.

‘’I don’t know. It’s relaxing. You look peaceful.’’

And then, Grantaire looked up, his emerald eyes meeting Enjolras’ through his hair. They both looked star-strucked, lost in each other’s gaze. The sound of Cosette’s key in the door cleared the air of the tenderness of the moment, and Enjolras got up. ‘’Do you, hum, would you like more wine?’’

Grantaire stared at him for a moment before answering. ‘’Yeah, that’d be nice, thanks.’’

Alone in the kitchen, Enjolras let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. He filled the glass for Grantaire. He wasn’t much of a drinker, and he had bought that bottle of wine to use it in recipes. He took a moment to consider what had just happened. He got his phone out of his pocket, and he unlocked it to find a message Combeferre had sent an hour before.  
|combeferre|18:32:24|  
Sorry man, can’t make it tonight, I’m caught up in work. Hope you won’t witness anything too gross. -C  
And now Combeferre was leaving him alone with his sister, her fiancé, and his best man who was way too hot to handle. He rubbed his temple, hoping it would send away the headache he felt coming. What the hell had just happened? He didn't know, but he decided that, if he wanted to survive the night, he would need his own glass of wine. He waited until his heartbeat was back to his normal speed, took a deep breath and went back into the living room.


	3. Chapter 3

A month passed, and Cosette started being unbearable. She wanted everything to be perfect, and it slowly started driving Enjolras crazy. Everytime she panicked, he was there to calm her down. He drew the line when she woke him up at 3am because she was scared the napkins would be the wrong green. The next morning (after apologizing for the cursing and the book throwing that had occurred the night before), they agreed on a scale, which went from one to ten. A lost hair-pin was a 2, and a stain on the wedding dress was a 9. So when she called Enjolras to signal a twelve, he dropped everything and ran back home, imagining his sister with a broken ankle, or without a fiancé. He entered the apartment to find his sister sitting on the couch, watching the news with Marius, and with no signs of any broken bones.

‘’Cosette? What the hell is going on? You sounded really upset, what’s wrong?’’

Cosette turned to him and smiled sweetly. ‘’Oh, nothing, I just wanted to be sure you wouldn’t miss our engagement party tonight. You always work so late, I had to find a way to get you here before everyone left!’’

Enjolras couldn’t believe what she was saying. He was in the middle of a big case, he didn’t have time for a party, not tonight. ‘’I hate you. So much. I thought you were in trouble. I was fucking worried, Cosette. Jesus Christ.’’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘’I’m going back to the office. I have stuff to do. I know planning the wedding is pretty much all you do right now, but the rest of us still have an outside life. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to lose my job. I hope the party is nice.’’

‘’Enjolras, stay, please. I know I shouldn’t have worried you, but I really want you to be here tonight. This is important to me. Even mom and dad will come by for a bit. We have games planned and enough drinks to drown a whole country. Please. I’m begging you. Just one night off. I won’t screw your career up, I swear. You need this, you need time off.’’ She pressed her hand on his cheek. ‘’You’re working too hard, honey. You don’t sleep enough, you never hang out with us, you’re stressed all the time. You need to loosen up a bit. Just one night. That’s all I’m asking. After that, you can go back to saving the world. Please?’’ Her voice was soft and welcoming and, god, he wished he could stay, just to see how happy it would make her. But he thought of the enormous pile of paper on his desk and the amount of meetings he had the next day, and knew he had to go.

‘’Cosette, sweetie, I’m sorry. But I have to go. I wish I could stay, I really do. But not tonight.’’ He kissed her forehead. ‘’Have a good time, okay? I would be good company anyways.’’ He stepped back and opened the door. ‘’I love you, sis.’’

As he closed the door behind him, his heart filled with what he could only describe as a bitter feeling. He felt as if he had just failed his whole country. But he hadn’t, he had failed his sister, and that was way worse. He wanted to go back inside, to apologize, to hug her and stay for the stupid party. But instead, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walk down the stairs. As he opened the door to leave the building, he collided with a man holding a pile of boxes, who was trying to come in. Enjolras leaned down and started picking up the colored boxes, to help the unknown man.

‘’I am so sorry sir, I didn’t see you at all, I didn’t mean to…’’

The rest of his sentence got lost when his gaze met the man’s eyes. The greenest he had ever seen. 

‘’Grantaire? What are you doing here? What are those?’’

He laughed, picking up his last box. ‘’What does it look like? Presents, Apollo, ever heard of those?’’ Enjolras looked as though Grantaire was speaking in a foreign language. ‘’For the engagement party. I didn’t know what to buy them and I got excited at the thrift store, so I bought everything I found pretty. I have earrings for your sister, and a cute bracelet, and a hair-pin that looks like a butterfly, and I got blue cufflinks for Marius, and a-‘’ He stopped talking, suddenly squinting his eyes at Enjolras. ‘’Hold on. Where are you going? You’re not missing the party, are you?’’

Enjolras sighted. ‘’I have to go back to work. I’m sorry. I hope you all have a great time.’’ He handed a small box he was still holding to Grantaire, and started walking towards his car. Grantaire screamed after him in disbelief.

‘’Apollo, come on! Don’t miss the party!’’ He watched Enjolras get in his car and start the engine. He raised his voice. ‘’You could’ve at least opened the door for me!’’  
~  
Later that night, as he was sitting in his office with his third cup of coffee, Enjolras’ phone buzzed. He reached for it without really looking, expecting a candy crush notification. Instead his phone informed his he had a new message, from an unknown sender. He opened it, intrigued.

|unknown|21:57:08|  
Your sister is really upset that you missed the party.

Enjolras stared at his phone and frowned with confusion. Was Combeferre messing with him? Wouldn’t be his type, and the message wouldn’t be from ‘’unknown’’. Enjolras decided to write back, determined to know who had been talking to his sister.

|enjolras|21:58:31|  
Who the hell is this? How do you know my sister?

He stared at his phone, waiting for an answer, unable to concentrate on anything until he knew his sister was ok. When his phone beeped again, he opened the message in an instant.

|unknown|22:01:02|  
We’ve been friends for a while now, she’s the sweetest. And, come on, I taught I was the one with the short-term memory problem. Don’t you remember me, Apollo?

|enjolras|22:02:45|  
Grantaire, how on earth did you get my number? Is Cosette okay?

|unknown|22:04:33|  
Hey, you remember my pretty face after all! Now, like I said, Cosette is the sweetest, and after a few drinks, she started rambling about how rude it was of you to miss her party. I took it as my duty to make sure the information found its way to you. I may, or may not have found your number in her cellphone. Oops.

Enjolras let out a sight, happy to know Cosette was ok. He wasn’t looking forward to the fight they would certainly have later, but he preferred Cosette pissed than Cosette missing, kidnapped by some creep. He saved Grantaire’s number in his phone without really thinking about it.

|enjolras|22:07:12|  
Well, you better not use it to text me insignificant things, because I will not hesitate to block you. Now, would you please give Cosette some aspirin and send her to bed? She’s gonna protest, but she’ll thank you in the morning. 

He pressed sent, and looked around his office. He still had work to do, but his sister was drunk off her ass because of him. He had royally messed up. He closed his laptop, grabbed his coat and his mug and closed the light, leaving the little office full of documents he would deal with in the morning. He threw the now cold coffee in the sink on the way out, and texted Grantaire.

|enjolras|22:08:02|  
If she asks, I’m on my way home.

About a minute later, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

|grantaire|22:09:15|  
Your wish is my command, Apollo.

He tried to be annoyed, but the nickname was starting to grow on him.  
~  
Enjolras unlocked the door softly, trying to be as quiet as possible. He was expecting to find the apartment messy, but everything was exactly where it was meant to be, as if nothing had happened. He went directly to Cosette’s room, reassured to see her sleeping with a glass of water and a trash can next to her.

‘’I hope she won’t need it, but I didn’t think you would enjoy scrubbing vomit off the floor.’’

Enjolras turned around to face Grantaire. The smaller man smirked, leaning against the wall. Enjolras looked at him, puzzled. 

‘’Where is Marius?’’

‘’Equally drunk, back at our place, hopefully not throwing up on my carpet.’’ Grantaire crossed his finger. ‘’I really like my carpet.’’

‘’Why did you stay? Eponine could’ve helped.’’

‘’Yeah, but you asked me, didn’t you? I wasn’t about to just pass my task to someone else.’’ He smiled softly and gestured towards the kitchen. ‘’I took the liberty to make some coffee. Want some?’’

‘’Thanks, but no thanks. I drank my body weight in coffee in the last four hours. If I take another cup, I might start hearing colors.’’ He gave Grantaire a half-smile, and he chuckled.

‘’Well then, you’ll tell me what the color of desire sounds like.’’

Enjolras stared at him, confused. ‘’The color of what? What are you talking about?’’

Grantaire’s eyes lit up as he answered. ‘’Red. It’s the color of desire. You seem to like that color an awful lot, Apollo. But it suits you. It fits your energy.’’

And he walked towards the kitchen, as if he had told Enjolras about the weather, and not some cryptic color language. Enjolras followed him, and, once in the kitchen, watched him pour himself some coffee. He sat on one of the wooden benches and placed his elbows on the counter top, resting his chin between his hands. Grantaire sat next to him with is coffee, and they stayed silent for a moment. 

‘’What did you mean when you said red fits with my energy?''

''Well for starters, you have a strong personality. You're the kind of guy who doesn't step away from what he believes in. You fight with a burning passion for what you believe is right. I admire people like that. People like you.''

''You don’t even know me.’’

Grantaire laughed silently. ‘’Maybe I know you more than you think.’’ He took a sip. ‘’Or maybe I’m just good at guessing those things.’’

Enjolras smirked. ‘’Well then, guess away. Tell me things I don’t know about myself.’’

Grantaire laughed louder, and, when he realized Enjolras was being serious, he placed his cup on the counter. ''You, my good sir, think the world needs to be saved. And you think you are the savior it needs. That's why you work so hard. That's why you missed tonight's party.'' Enjolras looked away, guilt filling his eyes. ''But it's okay. Your sister understands. She knows you mean well. You fight for a good cause, even though it's lost in advance.

''It's not! If nobody stands up, nothing will ever change!''

''Honey, I like the idea, I do. But if the people could change something, if those big guys in the government were paying attention, do you think you'd still have to fight? You can try as hard as you can, but in the end, nobody is listening.''

''Not being heard is no reason for silence.''

Grantaire smiled, and it was the purest, kindest smile Enjolras had ever seen. ''That's why the world needs people like you. People who say no, I'm not going down without a fight. I might not believe in the cause, dear, but I do believe in those who stand up.'' He paused for a moment. ''I believe in you.''

He stared at Enjolras’ face, focusing on every little detail. He spoke softly. ‘’You’re stressed. You work too much. You’re angry too often. Your forehead is all crinkly.’’ He pressed his thumb between Enjolras’ eyebrows, and the blond man relaxed almost instantly. He hadn’t noticed how bad his headache had gotten until Grantaire’s fingers were on his head, soothing the pain away. Grantaire moved his hand down Enjolras’ neck, and started massaging the knot in his left shoulder. Then, slowly, as if he didn’t want to startle him, Grantaire went behind Enjolras, giving him a proper massage. He bent down to bring his mouth close to Enjolras’ ear. ‘’You need to slow down. You need to take care of yourself. Your whole body is screaming for help. You can’t ignore that.’’ Enjolras nodded slowly, completely relaxed in Grantaire’s hands. He kept massaging him until Enjolras was on the verge of sleep in the kitchen. Then, with the same care as before, he helped Enjolras get to his bed, laid him down and covered him up in a warm blanket.   
As Enjolras was drifting away, Grantaire bent down to brush his golden hair off his face. He murmured, as if he was talking to a small child. ‘’Call me tomorrow. Sleep well, Apollo.’’ He kissed his forehead gently and left the room, while Enjolras fell asleep in a second. He went to check on Cosette, who was still sound asleep.   
He left the apartment, and walked back to his place, appreciating the calmness of the night. It was late, and he would regret the lack of sleep in the morning, but it didn’t matter. For a reason he couldn’t find, he had butterflies in his stomach. He laughed at himself for acting and feeling like a child.   
When he entered his apartment Eponine was asleep on the couch, and he blessed her soul for taking care of the drunken mess Marius had been. He entered the bathroom to brush his teeth, but stopped in the doorway, something in the bathtub catching his eye. Marius had, god damn him, thrown up on his carpet.


	4. Chapter 4

‘’Cosette, I beg of you, choose a dress.’’

Enjolras was losing his mind. They were trying to choose the bridesmaids dresses, but Cosette couldn’t seem to pick, and Marius kept texting Enjolras to come and try his suit. 

‘’I don’t see why this is so hard, they look pretty identical to me.’’  
Judging by the look on his sister’s face, he had said the worst abomination of the century.

‘’How dare you? You will know, mister, that those dresses are in no way identical, thus my confusion and struggle is perfectly valid.’’

‘’Well If you don’t overcome that struggle and choose in the next five seconds, I am leaving. I do not care that I drove you here, you will walk back home.’’

Cosette turned to him, and gave him her famous puppy eyes. ‘’You can’t go!’’

‘’Honey, if I’m not across town putting my suit on in ten minutes, your fiancé will strangle me in my sleep. Do you want your best man to deliver his speech from beyond the grave?’’

‘’I just can’t choose! They’re both so pretty…’’ She stared at the dresses, on the verge of tears.

Enjolras got up and patted her sister’s shoulder. ‘’Call Eponine, she could help.’’

‘’She doesn’t know anything about fashion, or aesthetic, or colors, or…’’ Her eyes lit up and in an instant, she was on her feet, getting her phone out of her pocket, dialing a number Enjolras couldn’t see.

‘’Hey, I need you with the dresses. I can’t choose. You’re the one who came up with the color scheme, I’m sure you’ll be able to help. Yeah, the dress shop on fifth avenue. You are the best person I know. I will shower you with love and respect and gifts until my dying day.’’

~

‘’Yeah, yeah, I’m awesome, I know. I’m on my way. Love you too, be there in fifteen.’’ Grantaire hung up, smirking.

‘’Marius? Sorry pal, the bride needs me.’’ Marius turned to him with a disapproving look.

‘’Grantaire, you can’t leave. I need everyone to try the suits, and Enjolras isn’t even here yet.’’

‘’Well, that is tragic, dear, but your fiancée needs help choosing the dresses for the bridesmaids. Now, you wouldn’t want them to walk around naked on your wedding day, would you? No, you know what, don’t answer that.’’

‘’You can’t go!’’

‘’Yeah, sure, but I’m pretty sure I’d rather deal with you being pissed than with Cosette pinning her eternal wrath on me. Sorry boo, I’m out.’’

He waved at his friends, exited the little store and started walking towards the store.

~

‘’Will you ever make me the honor to tell me who’s coming?’’ Enjolras asked, as his sister kept staring at the dresses. She hadn’t talked since she hung up, and he was standing awkwardly next to the door, unsure of what would happen if he decided to leave. He wasn’t scared of Cosette per se, but he knew how she was when she was angry, and it was pretty terrifying. He had found a way to calm her down over the years, but this was different. Adding stress and sleep deprivation and two glasses of mimosa to anger gave a whole new combination, and Enjolras had no idea how she would react. What he was certain of was that he didn’t want to find out, so he had waited, expecting her to announce who she had called. Which she, apparently, was not planning on doing. 

‘’No.’’ Her eyes kept detailing the dresses as if her life depended on it.

‘’Can I at least leave?’’

‘’No. Bring me another glass of mimosa, will you?’’ She reached her hand towards him without moving her gaze away from the mannequins.

‘’Cosette, I don’t think you-‘’

‘’Enjolras. Glass. Now.’’

He gave her a glass before she could get angrier. Maybe he was, as a matter of fact, scared of her. His thought process was stopped when the door swung open, letting a cool breeze in the shop. Enjolras recognized the cap first. 

Oh no. 

His day was already too complicated. He did not need to be confronted with feelings he didn't understand. He didn't want to spend the afternoon shushing the butterflies in his stomach. He wondered if it would be appropriate to jump out of the window.

He did not want to deal with this, with him, right now. Not today.

‘’Grantaire?’’ He looked at the man as he took his cap off his head, letting the dark curls bounce free and fall in front of his face. ‘’What are you doing here?’’

Grantaire gave him a confused smile. ‘’Cosette called me. Asking me to help with the dresses. ‘’

‘’She was calling you?’’ He turned his head to his sister, who still hadn’t move, except to sip her drink slowly. 

‘’Yeah man. You didn’t know?’’

‘’I did not.’’ He was trying to be angry at her for calling him, of all people. Anyone could have helped. Ponine. Chetta. Hell, Gavroche. She didn’t need to call Grantaire. Grantaire, with his messy curls and his enchanting eyes and his sharp jawline and his pants always just a bit too tight to keep Enjolras’ mind clean and pure. Oblivious of Enjolras’ internal struggle, the other man took off his coat and dropped it on a chair. Enjolras gasped. Grantaire was wearing a shirt so fitting it was probably illegal. It had to be. Enjolras could see his muscular arms, his muscular chest, his muscular everything. 

‘’Jesus Christ, could you be more gay?’’ his own mind asked. He was pretty sure his mouth was open, but he couldn’t close it, or move at all.

‘’Enjolras? Everything okay?’’ Grantaire squinted his eyes at Enjolras.

He swallowed hard, trying to regain control over his body, and nodded slowly, feeling himself blushing. Grantaire, apparently satisfied with the answer, sat down next to his sister and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He sat back in the couch, locking his fingers behind his head. His shirt lifted a bit, and Enjolras caught a glimpse of his hipbone. He died a little, and decided that if he was going to get through this alive he needed a drink or two. Grantaire laughed at something Cosette had said, throwing his head back. His black locks contrasted with the pale couch and his eyes crinkled. 

‘’Five,’’ Enjolras thought, ‘’I need five drinks.’’

~

As he compared textures with Cosette, Grantaire kept feeling Enjolras’ eyes on him. He tried to pretend he didn’t notice, or that the blue eyes of the other man didn’t make his heart flutter. He almost made it. But while Cosette went on about ribbons, he turned his head towards the blond and their eyes locked, and Grantaire swore all the oxygen in the room disappeared. Enjolras was leaning gently against the wall, a glass in his hand. His blond hair was in a messy bun, a few strands escaping, and Grantaire day dreamed of pushing them back behind the man’s ear. He was wearing a blue shirt that made his eyes shine even brighter, and for some reason the first two buttons were open, giving Grantaire a peek of a bit of skin he would’ve killed to put his mouth on. His tie was undone, laying around his neck, and it gave him all sorts of ideas that were not appropriate for children. Enjolras brought his glass to his mouth without breaking eye contact, and Grantaire’s attention fell on his lips. God, how he wanted to kiss those lips, and then his throat, and his chest, and he wanted to tie his wrists with his stupid tie, and-

‘’Grantaire are you even listening to me? I am having a crisis right now. We should go with that one, right?’’ He realized he had been staring for way too long, and blushed. Enjolras smirked at him, and he blushed harder.

‘’Fine. Let’s take the ones with the long sleeves. They will be more practical if it gets cold during the ceremony, and they shouldn’t make anyone feel insecure.’’

It had taken three hours. Three hours of comparing fabrics and lengths and pearls. Three hours of longing looks and intense staring.

Enjolras discovered Grantaire had exactly six moles on his arm, and a few on his hipbone. Those were his favorite.

Grantaire had the time to mentally undress and redress Enjolras four times. It would have been five, but Grantaire took his time.

At one point, their hands brushed while they both reached for the same dress. They both froze and stared at their hands for a moment, before running away to opposite corners of the room, cursing themselves for being idiots.


End file.
